Wholesale price measure was flat in February, compared with expected increase

In short, progress on inflation has started off 2025 on the wrong foot,

Bank of America economist Stephen Juneau said in a note

Ultimately, tariffs are an inflationary economic tool and will raise prices for consumers,

said Lindsay James, investment strategist at Quilter Investors

Trade wars are expected to raise prices in future inflation reports,

said Chris Low, chief economist at FHN Financial

Sticky service inflation and rents ... in conjunction with slowing growth do not bode well for the economy or the number of rate cuts the Fed wants to make this year,

said Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US

The main thing is that it wasn’t an increase at a moment when inflation has been remarkably persistent despite the fact that the Biden administration under which it began has gone now,

Hume argued

But there’s perhaps a ticking time bomb out there because February there were no tariffs in place,

he noted

They’re all starting to take effect now,

he said, of the tariffs that are now being implemented in retaliation to Trump’s by the European Union and Canada, with the former’s “specifically targeted to try to hit the president” where it hurts in GOP-held states

Let's be clear, this isn't a free pass to rally unchallenged. The real question now is how far Trump is willing to push on tariffs and government cuts,

he wrote in a commentary

With April 2's reciprocal tariff D-Day looming, traders would be foolish to dismiss his resolve to rewrite global trade,

he added, referring to another round of levies due to come into effect

The inflation data are a bright spot in the Federal Reserve's battle against rising prices. They reinforce the expectation of three rate cuts later in 2025,

said Jochen Stanzl, chief market analyst at CMC Markets

Investors are increasingly looking overseas as concerns mount over US stock valuations, monetary policy, and economic uncertainty,

said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo

Sentiment on Wall Street is so negative that these positive inflation figures could spark a broader recovery in stock prices,

he added